Rocco II
The fastest ship in the Universe, the Rocco II (formerly the Red Jewel) is the vessel of the Magnificent 7, serving as both their base of operations and primary mode of transportation. It is a C-564C Eclipse Light Cruiser, a simple high speed cargo ship created at the Tanthalas Shipyards of the Jehdan Empire by Mirai Industries. There was nothing extraordinary about the ship, other than it was designed to be very fast in order to outrun pirates. Over time, the ship was sold off to a private owner, who bought it with the idea of turning it into a smuggling vessel. He upgraded the engines and many of the ship’s internal systems, and the ship began a long history of changing hands between smugglers and traders. Each of its many owners would put it through a series of upgrades and retrofits, with particular attention being given to the speed of the ship. It would eventually come into the hands of a drifter named Jaxx Barro, who had killed her employer, the Jehdan Duke Valen Tyne, over a matter involving slave trafficking and run off with the ship. After she broke from Valen, Barro began to add to the prior owners' modifications. Her personal enhancements included upgrading the armor plating, weapons, engines, sensors, and sensor jammers. Many of the ship’s most important modifications were cannibalized from a downed SENTINEL Capitol Ship, including its power core which gave the tiny ship a power output of a ship many times its size. The Hyperdrive she took from the ship made Red Jewel the fastest ship in private ownership, being able to travel to almost any point in the known Universe in a matter of days. She was eventually seemingly murdered by her first mate, the Selikan Wylie who gathered the fearsome Grinning Pirates. Wylie himself was killed by a passing John Nash, who took the ship and renamed it the Rocco II and gave the ship’s AI the name Rocco (it had previously been referred to as just “Ship”). Ship Features Due in no small part to it's long and dangerous history, the Rocco II is one of the fastest ships in the entire Universe and is remarkably well armed for its size and class. The ship is a medium sized cruiser, being 11 meters tall, 50 meters in length and 32 in width. The hull is sleek, and has sported a wide variety of colors from its original stock silver, to white and blue, to a dull gray before being given its iconic red paintjob when it came into the possession of the Valen Family. It was at this point that the ship was renamed the Red Jewel. The bridge is an armored blister on the front half of the ship, with two hatches behind it. The sublight engines are contained in 2 outriggers on either side of the ship, with sharp fins rising from each. On the bottom of the ship are the two hyper engines, which also have the rear landing gear. The front landing gear doubles as an access point and ramp leading to the lower hold. The Rocco II's power plant is a SENTINEL Mark XXVII Nexus Core that was pirated from a downed SENTINEL Flagship. This Core powers all ship's systems, significantly boosting its speed and force fields. Initially John rarely used more than 40% of the Power Core's output for fear of shaking the ship apart, but Hefe managed to adjust the balance between the Core and the Shields so that it could use close to 99% Power without overly damaging the ship's structural integrity. However, he advised against ever taking the Drive past 80% unless it was absolutely necessary. Even at this level, the ship is capable of travelling between galaxies in matter of days where other ships will take weeks. Like most common space ships, the Rocco II is equipped with a Gravisphere which simulates gravity within the ship while projecting an anti-grav field without. Not only does this field control gravity onboard the ship allowing crew to comfortably move around, it also works somewhat like how Aura is used by individuals in that it can hold the ship aloft in space. Using this field, the Rocco II is able to hover stably in nearly any environment. The Gravisphere also acts as a inertial dampening field, allowing the Rocco II incredible manueverability while protecting the crew from the strain the inertia would normally place on them. The field projected by the generator is always on, and is considered a critical system like life support. Despite its incredible functions, the Gravisphere on the Rocco II's strain on the power core is negligible. 'Rocco (Ship's AI)' The Rocco II’s artificial intelligence system, Rocco (originally called just “Ship”) is just as much a personality on board the Rocco II as any member of its crew. Primarily communicating through speakerphones, an interface on the bridge, and a seemingly limitless number of miniature maintenance robots, Rocco is a constant companion of the crew, and assists them in all areas of the ship’s upkeep – even including the kitchen-duty. Sporting a wryly sarcastic and canterkerous personality, Rocco is almost always engaged in reminding the crew of their personal duties and responsibilities, much as a father-figure or a butler might. While his demeanor is callous and rude, Rocco does seem to display a great deal of affection for his current crew, relating that their generally better than the pirates who owned him before. He’s also very confident in his own greatness, and regularly states that he’s the best ship in the galaxy. This often irritates John, who would rather sleep late and shirk chores, and Rocco, as a result, is frequently compelled to confront John about his laziness and inadequacy. Rocco also regularly voices concern over his "future prospects" due to the brash nature of John's captaining. 'Schematic' The Rocco II is a C-Variant C-564 Eclipse and is rather typical of that class. It possesses three decks: 'Deck 1' Bridge: The Rocco II is controlled from the Bridge. The helm is in the front center, with 4 crew stations in a horseshoe shape behind it. The door to the hall to the rest of the deck is at the rear. A hatch to the right of the door leads down to the Mess on Deck 2. Captain's Quarters: Leaving the Bridge, there is a long hall leading to the rear hold and the stairs leading down to the lower decks. To the left halfway down the hall is the door to the Captain's Quarters. The Captain's Quarters are a good deal larger than the Crew Quarters on the lower deck, and has its own washroom complete with a sink, toilet and shower. The bed is larger and is found in the middle of the room, and has a foot locker at its base. In the corner there is a computer desk with dual monitors and a separate tablet that John can draw on where he works on his art. Along the other walls there is a bigger dresser for June's clothes, a night stand, an entertainment center, book shelves, and a large screen on the far wall that doubles as a port hole. In the wall above the nightstand between the bed and computer desk is a synthesizer recessed into the wall. Sick Bay: '''Across the Hall from the Captain's Quarters is the Sick Bay. The Sick Bay contains the ship's medical facilities. In addition to containing the medicine and surgical supplies, it also has three Healing Chambers in which injured people can be placed and immersed in healing fluid which can rapidly speed up their recovery. '''Head: Further down from the Sick Bay across from the staircase is the head. It has a toilet and sink. People go there to relieve themselves. Rear Hold: 'At the very stern of the ship is the rear hold. Here, there is an aft hatch which can open to recieve cargo. Also in this hold, are two Space Pods, used to transport single members when the ship is otherwise indisposed. 'Deck 2 Crew Quarters: '''The other crew members lodgings are on the second deck, and of the 8 rooms available, only 5 are regularly inhabited (Cain and Cara share a cabin). Compared to the Captain's Quarters, the Crew Quarters are rather spartan. They are narrow, with a closet immediately to the right after entering the room. Just past the closet space is a recessed bunk, which is nominally big enough for two people. Across from the bunk is a desk, often with a pad connected to the ship's systems. On the far wall is a screen which can double as a porthole when not being used. '''Bath: '''The Bath is towards the back of the deck near the stairs. In addition to a toilet, it contains the washing facilities, including a sink, mirror, and a sizable bathtub. '''Laundry Room: A small cramped room between the bath and the crew quarters, the Laundry Room has three sets of washers and dryers and a table for folding clothes. Galley: ' '''The G alley is a small room next to the Mess, cordoned off by a wall with a door and window opening to the Mess. The Galley contains refrigeration, stoves, burners, a microwave, and a synthesizer. It is barely big enough for 3 people to stand in at once. The Galley also possesses a synthesizer which John programmed with his favorite foods and drinks that he brought with him from Earth. Since taking on additional crew, the others have programmed their own food and drink preferrances' into it. '''Mess: '''The Mess is adjacent to the Galley and is found directly below the Bridge. It is accessed through either a door from the hallway in the center of the deck, or a ladder coming down from a hatch in the ceiling which links the Mess and the Bridge. It has a long table with 10 seats (4 on each side with 1 at each end). '''Rec Room: The Rec Room is at the far forward end of the deck, and is where the crew goes to unwind. It has two long couches with a lounger that John apparently brought from Earth. It possesses a computer station linked to the ship's systems and a bubble hockey table. On the forward wall is a large screen, and in a table in between the couches is a table with a holo projector in the middle. On the starboard wall is a synthesizer disguised as a Red-Cola soda machine which John programmed to dispense his favorite soft drinks from Earth. 'Deck 3' Hold: The Hold is where all the extraneous cargo that the Magnificent 7 pick up is kept. It is far larger than any other room in the ship, with many secret compartments from the ship's days as a smuggling vessel. Engine Room: The Engine Room is located at the aft section of the deck. The door is usually locked, but all in the crew know the passcode to enter it. The room is heavily shielded, with a central furnace with pipes leading out to either engine and the two Hyperspeed Engines. Beneath the rather archaic looking furnace facade, is a state of the art SENTINEL Drive that was stolen from a downed SENTINEL Flagship. This Hyperdrive powers all ships systems, and gives the Rocco II the power of a ship many times its size. John initially rarely took the Drive beyond 40% Capacity, as using all the Drive's power could potentially rip the ship apart. After Hefe joined the crew, he rebalanced the Drive allowing 80% to be used without fear. 'Trivia' - The Rocco II is named after Ray Nash's black Dodge Charger. Ray had named the car Rocco after a friend who was a famous pornstar. - Over the course of its life, the ship became part of a fleet of Eclipses which were remodeled as smuggling vessels by a Jehdan gangster. This gangster eventually ran afoul of the Valen Family, and he sold the fleet to them to settle a debt. Under them it and its sisters were painted red (the official color of the Valens) and the ship was given the name the Red Jewel. The Valens would continue to use the Eclipses as smuggling vessels, with the Red Jewel being piloted by a young Jaxx Barro. When she discovered that the cargo she was smuggling was actually a group of purran slaves, she set them free and absconded with the Jewel. - Many of the Rocco II's most valuable upgrades were done by Jaxx Barro when she owned the ship. Though the ship is of the C-Variant, it was upgraded with the weapon emplacements from a derelict D-Variant by an earlier owner. These weapons were later upgraded like the rest of the ship's systems with technology recovered from a downed SENTINEL Capital Ship by Jaxx Barro. She was also responsible for equipping the ship with jammers and falsifiers which hide the ship's illegal upgrades by giving off false readings. For this reason Hefe was surprised to find SENTINEL hardware throughout the ship. - The crew quarters on the middle deck were originally secured storage when the ship was owned by the Valen Family which were often used to confine transported slaves. After running off with the ship and gaining a crew, Barro would turn these storage rooms into crew quarters, though each room contained four stacked bunks to allow for more lodging. When Wylie took control of the ship he maintained this set up, but John never expected to have very many people aboard at any given time and would make each room lodging for a single person to stay comforably. - After the death of the Holy Ghost, John was named Lord Naru by the newly crowned King and the titles and wealth of the Clan were restored to him. While he was largely uninterested in his role as the head of a defunct house, the wealth given to him was largely used to customize and ugrade the Rocco II. - Upon taking ownership of the vessel, John almost immediately began messing with the synthesizer settings and the furnishings. After the battle with Holy Ghost was over he spent much of the following year redecorating. Among his first big changes was the installation of carpet on the upper 2 decks (he says he hated the metal plate flooring on his bare feet, and installed tile in the bathrooms and the galley (because that's where tile belongs...)). The carpet on the bridge and in the hallways is a loop pile to maintain itself despite being in high traffic areas. In the bedrooms, galley and rec room he has more plush cut pile style carpet, put for those places "where he sometimes just wants to lie on the floor." When she first comes aboard the ship, June immediately recognizes John's tastes and mocks his additions as tacky.